1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. – 1 Samuel 31:1-7 ESV
While David and his men were pursuing and defeating the Amalikites, Saul and the Israelites were doing battle with the Philistines. David had sought the help of God and found success. Saul had sought the help of a witch and died in battle, along with his three sons. As a result of his God-ordained victory, David celebrated by distributing the spoils among his men and the elders of Judah. Yet, Israel’s defeat at the hands of the Philistines resulted in Saul’s death as well as the mass evacuation of Israelite cities near the scene of the battle. The Israelites’ loss would be the Philistines' gain as they took occupation of those abandoned cities.
Two men and two completely different outcomes, yet both taking place at exactly the same time. What is interesting to note is the easy-to-miss reference to King Saul’s armor bearer. Verse six reads: “Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.” This verse stands out because, at one time, David had been Saul’s armor bearer.
And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. – 1 Samuel 16:21 ESV
While just a passing reference in the text of 1 Samuel 31, it is significant to realize that David’s somewhat difficult-to-understand exile from the palace of Saul had been a literal godsend. God had ordained David’s disassociation from Saul to spare David the same fate as Saul. All those close to Saul, including his son, Jonathan, died as a result of his stubborn rebellion against the will of God. Had God not removed His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to torment him, David could have remained in his service. David could have been a part of that battle with the Philistines, serving alongside the king as his armor bearer. But it had been God’s plan to separate David from Saul so that he might be spared and prepared to be Saul’s eventual replacement.
This entire scenario was the work of God; He had even warned Saul that it would happen. In fact, when Saul sought the aid of the witch of Endor and asked her to conjure up the departed spirit of Samuel the prophet, God intervened. Much to her surprise and shock, she successfully called up the dead prophet who delivered a chilling prediction to Saul.
“Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” – 1 Samuel 28:18-19 ESV
The end of Saul’s reign was at hand. As part of His divine plan, God determined the time had come for Saul’s reign to end so that David’s could begin. However, the transition of power did not take place immediately. Saul remained on the throne and David was forced to go into hiding – all part of God’s sovereign plan.
Despite David’s earlier defeat of Goliath and his successful battles against the Philistines, this powerful pagan nation still posed a threat to the kingdom of Israel. So, on this occasion, when Saul went up against them in yet another battle, he did so without the aid of David. This time, no young shepherd boy stepped up to save the day. There was no miraculous defeat of the Philistine champion or a rousing defeat of the enemy.
Forced to go into battle without his greatest warrior and without the assistance of the Lord, Saul witnessed the complete destruction of his army by the enemies of God. It should not escape our attention that Saul, while wounded in battle, was not killed as part of the battle. He lived to witness the executions of his sons and had to watch as his kinsmen were either slaughtered in front of him or deserted the battlefield in fright.
Saul was not allowed the dignity of falling in battle at the hands of his enemies. There would be no songs celebrating his valiant last-gasp stance against the enemy. He didn’t go down in a hail of arrows, his blood-soaked sword clutched in his hand and the lifeless bodies of his enemies lying at his feet; he impaled himself on his own sword. Fearing what the Philistines would do to him if they took him alive, Saul chose to end his own life and with that last act of desperation and defeat, Saul’s nearly 40-year reign over Israel (1 Samuel 13:1) came to an abrupt and ignominious end.
Even in the moments before his death, Saul feared man more than he feared God. He was more concerned with falling into the hands of the Philistines than with having to answer to his God. Had Saul been able to read the words of James, he might have had second thoughts about his life-ending decision.
For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The LORD will judge his own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. – Hebrews 10:30-31 NLT
Perhaps Saul had deluded himself into believing he had been a faithful king and obedient servant of God. Maybe he was convinced that he was a man of integrity. Whatever the case, Saul faced a judgment far worse than anything the Philistines could do to him. It was Jesus who warned, “Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 NLT).
Saul died, just as the prophet had foretold. Israel was defeated and the Philistines were victorious. But God was still sovereign. He was not surprised by the outcome. He didn’t panic. No knee-jerk reaction or spur-of-the-moment decision was necessary to deal with this significant setback. It had all been part of His divine plan and sovereign will.
God had given the people what they demanded: A king. But not just any king. He gave them a king like all the other nations, just as they had requested. Little did they know that their demand would come back to haunt them. They would get what they wanted and much more. God could see into their hearts and knew that their request for a king was actually a rejection of Him as their sovereign. He even told Samuel the prophet, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7 ESV).
The people’s 40-year experiment with the world’s brand of leadership had come to an abrupt end, and God was preparing to replace their king with a far better one – a man after his own heart. Not a perfect man. Not a sinless man. But a man whose heart had been trained to rely upon and rest in the will of God. A man who had learned the invaluable lessons of trusting God rather than relying upon himself. A man who had experienced the futility of self-preservation and learned the value of reliance upon the Lord.
Saul was done, but God was not. Israel was down, but not out. Their best days lie ahead of them. The king they had longed for was dead but God had his replacement in the wings. The days ahead looked dark and bleak, but a ray of hope shone on the horizon. God had a plan and He was working it to perfection. With Israel’s defeat and Saul’s death, the nation mourned but, little did they know that their best days were ahead of them.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.